Numbers 3

1 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day when the Lord spoke to Moses on mount Sinai.

These also [are] the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day [that] the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.

2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.

And these [are] the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed and whose hands were filled and consecrated in order to exercise the priesthood.

These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office.

4 For Nadab and Abihu died without children, when they offered, in the sight of the Lord, a strange fire, in the desert of Sinai. And so, Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the sight of Aaron, their father.

And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

6 “Bring forward the tribe of Levi, and cause them to stand in the sight of Aaron the priest, in order to minister to him. And let them keep watch outside,

Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.

7 and let them observe whatever pertains to the ritual for the multitude, in front of the tabernacle of the testimony,

And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.

8 and let them take care of the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in its ministry.

And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

9 And you shall give the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons; for they have been delivered to them by the sons of Israel.

And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they [are] wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.

10 But you shall appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of the priesthood. The outsider who approaches to minister shall be put to death.”

And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

12 “I have taken the Levites from the sons of Israel. For the Levites, and all the firstborn who open the womb among the sons of Israel, shall be mine.

And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;

13 For every firstborn is mine. From the time that I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I have sanctified for myself whatever is born first in Israel. From man, even to beast, they are mine. I am the Lord.”

Because all the firstborn [are] mine; [for] on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I [am] the LORD.

14 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:

And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

15 “Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and above.”

Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.

16 Moses numbered them, just as the Lord had instructed,

And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

17 and there were found the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

18 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.

And these [are] the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.

19 The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These [ are] the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.

21 From Gershon were two families: the Libnites, and the Shimeites.

Of Gershon [was] the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these [are] the families of the Gershonites.

22 The people of these were numbered, of the male sex, from one month and above: seven thousand five hundred.

Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, [even] those that were numbered of them [were] seven thousand and five hundred.

23 These shall encamp behind the tabernacle, toward the west,

The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.

24 under the leader Eliasaph the son of Lael.

And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites [shall be] Eliasaph the son of Lael.

25 And they shall keep watch over the tabernacle of the covenant:

And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation [shall be] the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

26 the tabernacle itself, and its covering; the tent that is drawn before the doors of the covering of the covenant; and the curtains of the atrium; likewise, the tent that is suspended at the entrance of the atrium of the tabernacle; and whatever pertains to the ritual of the altar; the cords of the tabernacle and all its implements.

And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which [is] by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

27 The kinship of Kohath includes the peoples of the Amramites and Izharites and Hebronites and Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites, having been counted by their names,

And of Kohath [was] the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these [are] the families of the Kohathites.

28 all those of the male gender, from one month and above: eight thousand six hundred. They shall keep watch over the Sanctuary,

In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, [were] eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

29 and they shall encamp toward the south side.

The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

30 And their leader shall be Elisaphan the son of Uzziel.

And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites [shall be] Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31 And they shall take care of the ark, and the table and the lampstand, the altars and the vessels of the Sanctuary, by which they minister, and the veil, and all the articles of this kind.

And their charge [shall be] the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

32 But the leader of the leaders of the Levites, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over those who watch over the care of the Sanctuary.

And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest [shall be] chief over the chief of the Levites, [and have] the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

33 And truly, from Merari are the peoples of the Mahlites and Mushites, having been counted by their names,

Of Merari [was] the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these [are] the families of Merari.

34 all those of the male gender, from one month and above: six thousand two hundred.

And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, [were] six thousand and two hundred.

35 Their leader is Suriel the son of Abihaiel. They shall make camp on the north side.

And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari [was] Zuriel the son of Abihail: [these] shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.

36 Under their care shall be the panels of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the columns with their bases, and all the things which pertain to service of this kind,

And [under] the custody and charge of the sons of Merari [shall be] the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,

37 and the columns of the surrounding atrium with their bases, and the tent pegs with their cords.

And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

38 Moses and Aaron, with their sons, shall make camp before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is, on the east side, holding the custody of the Sanctuary in the midst of the sons of Israel. Whatever foreigner approaches it shall die.

But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, [even] before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, [shall be] Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

39 All the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by their families according to the precept of the Lord, of the male gender, from one month and above, were twenty-two thousand.

All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, [were] twenty and two thousand.

40 And the Lord said to Moses: “Number the firstborn of the male sex from the sons of Israel, from one month and above, and you shall take their total.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

41 And you shall bring the Levites to me, in place of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and you shall bring their cattle to me, in place of all the firstborn of the cattle of the sons of Israel. I am the Lord.”

And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I [am] the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.

42 Moses took a census, just as the Lord had instructed, of the firstborn of the sons of Israel.

And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

43 And the males by their names, from one month and above, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.

44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

45 “Take the Levites, in place of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites, in place of their cattle, and so the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord.

Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I [am] the LORD.

46 But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, which exceed the number of the Levites compared to the number of firstborn of the sons of Israel,

And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;

47 you shall take five shekels for each head, by the measure of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols.

Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take [them: ] (the shekel [is] twenty gerahs: )

48 And you shall give the money to Aaron and his sons as the price of those that are in excess.”

And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.

49 Therefore, Moses took the money for those that were in excess, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites

And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:

50 in place of the firstborn of the sons of Israel: one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, according to the weight of the Sanctuary.

Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary:

51 And he gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word by which the Lord had instructed him.

And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.